Transnistrian settlement needs public organizations efforts - observer
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Monday, 17 October 2005
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Moldova.org - Falls Church, VA, USA
Ukrainian independent political observer Mr. Vyacheslav Melnikov believes that democratic initiatives aimed at Transnistrian settlement will be successfully realized if public organizations come to take a more active part in that work.
Melnikov told Infotag, "From the viewpoint of classical geopolitics, Moldova is a field of influence of several forces. This small country in the center of Europe has become a place where two major military-political players of the modern time - NATO and Russia - are having a dust-up. Each of them takes every effort to preserve and strengthen its influence in the region. Meanwhile, the conflict of interests between the East and the West serves a fertile soil for the development of separatist trends. The only proper way for Moldova is to avoid becoming the boondocks of the former Soviet empire or a stepdaughter in relations with other countries. For this, Moldova should struggle for its independence through building an integral state with a rich economic potential situated on the crossroads between Asia and Europe".
The Ukrainian observer is convinced that independent public organizations should play an essential role in that process.
"That is exactly why it is necessary to attract them into the Transnistrian conflict settlement, for only they are able to ensure a balance of interests of the civil society and the authorities. The civil society can act as a guarantor in matters of observing and protecting the interests of different ethnic groups living in conflicting regions, and can be an efficient instrument of preventing such conflicts in the future", he said.
Mr. Melnikov stressed Ukraine had proposed earlier to solve the Transnistria question through democratization of that region and through building up the role played by public organizations. // Infotag
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